Patient Care

At UC San Francisco, we don’t just treat diseases, we treat individuals. We put our patients’ priorities at the center of our care, and strive for breakthrough discoveries so that we can improve people’s lives.

Research

UC San Francisco is leading revolutions in health – and those revolutions often start in the lab. From basic science to clinical research, we are constantly pushing scientific boundaries and earning worldwide recognition for our discoveries.

Education

At UC San Francisco, we encourage our students to approach health care issues with critical thinking and a spirit of inquiry. As tomorrow’s health and science leaders in training, UCSF students embody our passion for improving the human condition and pushing health care forward.

You are here

Education Overview

At UC San Francisco, we encourage our students to approach health care issues with critical thinking and a spirit of inquiry. As tomorrow’s health and science leaders in training, UCSF students embody our passion for improving the human condition and pushing health care forward.

UCSF’s four professional schools — Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy — and the Graduate Division consistently rank as top programs nationwide in their fields and attract the world’s most talented students. Our Global Health Sciences program involves more than 70 faculty from across each school, preparing students with hands-on training for global health expertise and leadership.

Training takes place in some of the finest “classrooms” in the nation, including UCSF Medical Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, the San Francisco VA Medical Center and numerous clinics throughout Northern California. In all of our schools, students become part of a highly collaborative, solutions-driven culture; each graduating class is expected to set a higher standard for the next when it comes to health leadership.

Medical student Collette DeJong talks about the unique educational environmental at UCSF. For more personal stories that make up our community, go to our One UCSF page.

Here is a snapshot of each UCSF school:

The school is recognized nationally for its innovative approach to dental education. It practices a philosophy of minimally invasive dentistry that focuses on prevention before surgical intervention. Unique curriculum includes a combined DDS-PhD and DDS-MBA program and a one-year training course designed to help disadvantaged students gain admission to U.S. dental schools.

In the latest ranking of the best medical schools by U.S. News & World Report, UCSF ranked fifth in research and second in primary care — the only school to rank high in both categories. The school encourages its students to incorporate inquiry, innovation and discovery throughout their careers, from the classroom to private practice, the government sector, academic medicine or other pursuits.

UCSF ranks #11 overall and highly in all four of the nursing specialty programs offered by the school that are ranked by U.S. News & World Report. The school provides education and research training in the social, behavioral and biological sciences, with a focus on health care. The diversity and innovation found in UCSF nursing programs advance nursing knowledge, guides improvements in health services and patient care and contributes to the well-being of our community.

UCSF is No. 3 in the nation for its Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program in the latest U.S. News & World Report survey. In addition to conducting groundbreaking pharmaceutical research, the school pioneered the role of clinical pharmacists, which positions pharmacists as a key part of a patient's care team. The school produces leaders and effective team members in health care and lifelong experts in the safe and effective use of medicines.

The Graduate Division includes 19 PhD programs, 11 master’s programs, two certificate programs and one physical therapy program. Programs cover a broad range of areas including bioengineering, chemistry, epidemiology and the social sciences. The program fosters broad collaboration across all disciplines at UCSF to spur more focused and effective research throughout our top-ranked graduate programs.